Following in their footsteps is desired goal
Taggart confident Owls can replicate UCF’s top-25 spot
BOCA RATON — Similar to his predecessor, FAU coach Willie Taggart believes the school nearly 190 miles north of it can be a model for what the Owls can achieve.
During a recent appearance on Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi’s radio show, Taggart was asked whether a goal he had in mind for FAU was experiencing success in the Associated Press Top 25 similar to that of USF and UCF, both of which are Group of Five programs that have been ranked in recent years.
“Absolutely, that’s a goal of ours,” Taggart responded. “That’s something that has to be.
“You look at what Coach [Lane] Kiffin and his staff and the guys had done over the last three years — two conference championships in a good, competitive conference. I think that’s the next step for this program.
“It’s still a young program that’s growing. As it grows and wins championships, I think that’s the next step as we continue to grow.”
USF, where Taggart coached from 2013-16, finished the 2016 season ranked at No. 19 in the AP Top 25 and the 2017 season ranked No. 21. UCF was ranked for 30 consecutive weeks between the 2017-19 seasons and reached as high as No. 6 in the AP poll.
Former FAU and current Ole Miss coach Kiffin expressed similar sentiments last month when asked if winning 11 games and playing in lower-level bowl games was the
ceiling for the Owls.
“I always said, ‘Why can’t [we] eventually be UCF?’ ” Kiffin said at the time. “They started like us. I know people who were on that first staff.
“There’s no reason as our university continues to grow that we can’t get to that level.”
FAU is coming off its best run in program history. The Owls went 11-3 during the 2019 season, capturing their second Conference USA championship in the past three years.
FAU also went 11-3 in Kiffin’s first year in 2017, finishing the season at No. 30, before having a disappointing 5-7 season in 2018.
The Owls finished the 2019 season ranked No. 27 by AP after dominating SMU 52-28 in the 2019 Boca Raton Bowl, and they have a chance to climb higher during the 2020 season, with Taggart inheriting the core of a conference-title winning roster.
During the radio interview, Taggart said FAU is “absolutely” in better shape than when he took over at USF. The Bulls posted a 6-18 record during Taggart’s first two seasons as coach before going 8-5 in his third and 10-2 in his fourth for the program’s first double-digitvictory season.
“I’m taking over a program that’s won two conference championships in the last three years,” Taggart said. “[It’s] a program that’s winning and understands what it takes to win. That’s totally different than any program I’ve taken over.
“That’s a challenge [to] continue that success and continuing to build off the success they’ve had. We’re in pretty good shape.”
Taggart said he wasn’t bitter about being fired by FSU after going 9-12 during his two seasons with the Seminoles and remains a fan of the program.
“I don’t get bitter about anything,” Taggart said. “I just try to do the best job I can and control the things I can control. That’s my attitude and my work ethic.
“You understand there are some things you can’t control, and you don’t get bitter about those things. I wish Florida State the best of luck. They’re going to do a great job, and they still have a fan in Coach Taggart.”